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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

cooking for one: week 4

This week I thought as my special challenge.This is because this week, I made risotto.I’ve made it once before with my cousin last year and it was so absolutely delicious that I couldn’t wait to make my own to see if I could replicate the richest, most scrumptious dish possible.However, normal groceries stores don’t sell Arborio (the rice needed for risotto) so I had to go to Tutto Italiano, an Italian specialty store (I highly recommend their sandwiches sooooo good. J

This chicken risotto, although not as good as the mushroom risotto Leah and I made, it exceeded expectations.I used more wine than it called for an subtracted from the chicken broth, and I think that really sealed the flavor.The chicken was a little dry (as always, I’m absolutely TERRIFIED of eating raw chicken) but the sautéed onions in balsamic vinegar were delicious and everything mixed together was so good it made my taste buds tingle. J

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice

2 1/4 cup dry white wine

5 cups hot chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter

2 lbs chopped cooked chicken breast

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped thyme

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onions and saute for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the onions are a dark golden brown. Remove from heat, stir in the balsamic vinegar and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a separate large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the rice and mix well. Let heat for about 2 minutes, then pour in the wine. Reduce heat to medium low and start pouring in the broth about 1 cup at a time. Add more wine/broth as each cup is absorbed. Continue in this manner until all the broth is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the reserved onion mixture and allow to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish each serving with fresh thyme.